In 2007 Oshawa critical care team saved Susan Edwards’s life

Susan Edwards

Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland

OSHAWA -- Susan Edwards, centre, suffered multiple heart attacks several years ago when she was just 29. She is now an adovocate for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and is organizing a team for the Big Bike Ride, which raises funds for the foundation. With Susan is the health-care team that helped to treat her, from left, Lisa Huzel, critical care physician and nurses Beth Game, nurse Katie Lowe and Tracey Pawlowski. June 10, 2014

Susan Edwards

Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland

OSHAWA -- The Oshawa Lowes team participated in the Big Bike Ride, cycling their way through downtown Oshawa. The Big Bike Ride raises funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. June 10, 2014

OSHAWA -- Workers from Lakeridge Health who once saved an Oshawa woman’s life were out in force to help her save more lives by supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The health workers made up two teams for the Heart and Stroke’s Big Bike and they raised funds towards placing defibrillators in the community.

They were pedalling to support Susan Edwards, once a cardiac arrest patient in critical care and now a worker for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

In 2007, Ms. Edwards was recovering from an appendectomy at the Oshawa hospital and was close to being released when she suffered a cardiac arrest. She had a undiagnosed, genetic heart condition that caused a complication to the surgery.

Critical care registered nurse Katie Lowe and Dr. Lisa Huzel, an intensivist and respirologist, were part of the team that fought to save her life.

“Essentially she was dead,” said Ms. Lowe. “We put the pads on her and were able to shock her out of it.”

Ms. Edwards woke up after being revived, confused and asking for her family. Then 29 years old, she had a one year old and three year old at home. The nurses had to hold her down as she tried to leave and then she’d suffer another cardiac arrest.

“She would wake up not knowing what had happened and then she would collapse again,” said Dr. Huzel.

It took 24 hours to stabilize her and she was eventually transferred to St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto to be fitted with an internal defibrillator and then was taken back to Lakeridge.

She went on to have multiple surgeries after her body rejected the defibrillator.

Years later, critical care nurse Tracey Pawlowski overheard a mother at her children’s school explaining why she had a heart surgery scar. It was Ms. Edwards, and the nurse instantly remembered her.

The two became friends and Ms. Pawlowski reconnected Ms. Edwards with some of the Lakeridge staff who took care of her, including Ms. Lowe and nurse Beth Game.

Though she doesn’t remember much from her cardiac arrests, she remembered Ms. Lowe and the tattoos on her arms.

“My family just kept telling me that you worked so hard,” said Ms. Edwards to her.

She also remembers the kindness of the nurses as she recovered.

“I was terrified to be alone,” she said. “When I was wide awake in the middle of the night they would sit in my room with me.”

It was after Ms. Edward’s third heart surgery that she began volunteering with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She came home one day and saw a flyer that explained the fact that the survival rate for people who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest but don’t have access to a defibrillator is as low as five per cent.

“I instantly broke into tears and I just knew I had to do something,” said Ms. Edwards, who added she knows she was lucky she didn’t suffer her cardiac arrest after she was released from the hospital.

She called the Heart and Stroke Foundation and began volunteering and then later working for the foundation. She is now the area co-ordinator for corporate accounts and organizes Big Bike teams.

Three years ago, Ms. Pawlowski joined Ms. Edwards on the bike. Last year, the nurse recruited some of her co-workers to join the team. This year, Lakeridge Health staff made up two teams for the Big Bike, riding together in June.

Ms. Edwards said it means a lot to her that the Lakeridge Health teams have come out to support the cause.

“Susan has devoted her life to Heart and Stroke, it’s our way of paying it back,” said Ms. Game.

“It’s great to see we were able to save her life, but through her many more lives will be saved,” said Dr. Huzel. “Critical care is a place where we do see a lot of tragedy, so people like Susan is why we come to work every day.”